Talking Tech Episode 1: Streaming media

Welcome to the first episode of "Talking Tech," our new video podcast devoted to all things consumer electronics. This time, we're talking about streaming media.

Electronics Editor Glenn Derene is joined by Senior Editor and James K. Willcox and Assistant Test Project Leader Chris Andrade in our new Connected Devices lab, where we're able to test all the different kinds of devices that can provide streaming media—including dedicated devices such as the Roku and Apple TV devices, some TVs and Blu-ray players, and gaming consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Streaming-media is a hot topic these days for a number of reasons. The devices themselves are relatively inexpensive, and there's now plenty of content available from streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. There's also growing interest among consumers in cutting the cable cord; streaming media can help provide the programming you might otherwise miss without subscribing to a cable service.

Our experts offer advice on how to avoid connectivity issues, define some of the many perplexing terms and acronyms that permeate the topic of streaming media, and discuss which player they'd buy for themselves.